“I’d choose Benzema, without doubt. Today, he is a very complete player, that is able to play as a 9, in the middle of the pitch, on the side..And besides Benzema there are no other players like that in Madrid. So if I had to sign a player, it would be him. And that’s not because he’s my friend and my brother.”

“I received a lot of support from him during my illness. He’s one of the world’s best on the pitch.”- Eric Abidal (2015)

When he received the award of Best French Football player in 2012, Benzema gave tribute to Abidal (who had liver cancer, and had been absent a long time)
and voted for him as the best french player. Abidal and Benzema have always been close, and he said:

“It’s a way of giving him tribute and to his courage. Eric is winning the most beautiful match (against cancer), the most important one for him. He reacted like a great player, but more than that like the great man that he is. He is teaching a lesson to all of us. This vote is a way of showing that I think of him. For me he is number one. This award is for him. From my heart, it’s his. We are the group of Lyonnais, a strong bond links us together, he kept me under his wing when I arrived in the Pros. He is one of my best friends, more like a brother.” -Karim Benzema